“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.”

(Psalm 100:4-5, NIV)

I love Thanksgiving….

It is a holiday dedicated to eating… and eating… and when you finish you go back for more eating!

I love the fall flavors and smells: the cinnamon, the cranberry, the pumpkin, the ginger…. What can I say? I am a true foodie at heart, and I savor each and every bite.

But I have to be honest… for many years it was just about the food, the new outfits for the kids, and that perfect “photo moment” where we would put on our best smiles and no one would see the emptiness inside. I dreaded the dinner table when my parents would ask everyone to go around the table and say that for which we were thankful; it was too forced, and everyone’s answer would be too cliche’… or at least my answer would be. “I am thankful for my family, my children, my friends,” blah, blah, blah.

Don’t get me wrong, I was thankful for them (very much so), but that was obvious. I really couldn’t find anything else in my life for which I was truly thankful. I was a pretty miserable person on the inside, so it was difficult to see past the end of my own nose and my current circumstances.

So I just enjoyed the food.

Now… everything has changed. I cry each morning, just so thankful to God for life… the amazing gift of life. I cry as I thank Him for each one of my children, my family, my home, my journey, and His plan for me. I am overwhelmed with thankfulness when I remember His sacrifice for mankind… for me.

This year my list continues to grow. I have learned to be thankful for the many little gifts that God gives us throughout each day, as I have read Ann Voskamps’ book entitled 1000 Gifts and have begun my own gratitude journal. (Click here to read more about this) Each numbered entry reminds me just how much He loves us… He thought of everything!! God’s love and beauty are everywhere… by looking for it, and thanking Him for it, we draw closer to Him!

But there is one gift I am especially thankful for…

One gift that is not deserved…

One gift that so many take for granted….

It is my daughter’s middle name:

Grace.

Five little letters that carry the weight of gold.

It is by God’s amazing grace that we are saved… that we have a hope and a future… that we have an eternity. All we have to do is accept it; all we have to do is accept Him. This gift is freely given to us, but it was paid by the highest of prices: God, the Creator of the universe, willing chose to become human… to live among us… and to die for our sin.

“Signs of being blessed aren’t power or material wealth. It is receiving the benefits of God’s Grace.” (Author Unknown)

It is not a gift to take lightly. Grace is a gift that, once truly realized, overwhelms! When we stare at ourselves in the mirror and look deep into our souls, we see the raw, ugly side of who we are: the sin… the dark sin that can only be covered by the crimson red of blood. It changes us….

God is not a God to be mocked. He did not give us grace to be thrown back in His face so that we could continue to knowingly sin, expecting the “grace card” to cover all. It does not allow us to continue in our old ways. When we truly comprehend all that grace entails, our lives are forever changed!

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,That saved a wretch like me….I once was lost but now am found,Was blind, but now, I see.

T’was Grace that taught…my heart to fear.And Grace, my fears relieved.How precious did that Grace appear…the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares…we have already come.T’was Grace that brought us safe thus far…and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me…His word my hope secures.He will my shield and portion be…as long as life endures.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years…bright shining as the sun.We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise…then when we’ve first begun.

This Thanksgiving day, and every day I have breath in my lungs, I will be thankful for the Amazing Grace that has been given to me. I pray that each of us today will take a few minutes to remember the cross… to remember that sacrifice that changed everything. May we never forget the blood shed so that we can have an eternity with the God of the universe!

And as we go around our virtual table, my cup runneth over with Thanksgiving. I can’t believe all that I have been blessed with; I may be poor as dirt, but I feel like the wealthiest woman in the world! God is so, so good!! He is so faithful!

What is the one thing you are the most thankful for today?? Share in our “Table of Thanksgiving” in the comments section below!!

So from my family to yours, may you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

I am just now getting around to reading this. You have such a heart for God! Your witness is phenomenal and it blesses me every time I read your writing. Hope your Thanksgiving was beautiful and you are enjoying this Christmas season!!